At these words, Ren's pupils immediately constricted, and his expression changed.
He remembered, he remembered everything.
Yakushi Nonou, once one of Root's most outstanding intelligence Ninja, skilled in Medical Ninjutsu, is now the director of an orphanage.
Thinking of her, Ren subconsciously turned his gaze to the two playing nearby: one was the girl he had just helped, named Misha, and the other was a silver-haired boy wearing round glasses.
It seemed he was Kabuto…
"Excuse me, is something wrong?"
Just then, Yakushi Nonou across from him suddenly spoke, looking at Ren with a polite smile.
When she had just said her name, his expression had changed very noticeably, and as a former intelligence Ninja, she quickly deduced from this detail that he knew her.
Hearing this, Ren quickly regained his composure and calmly explained.
"Ah, nothing, it's just that your name is exactly the same as an elder relative of mine who has passed away, so I was a little surprised.
By the way."
After explaining, Ren paused, then looked at her and smiled.
"I am Hoshimi Ren, please take care of me."
"Hmm?"
Nonou's eyes moved slightly, and information about him quickly surfaced in her mind.
The Village's super genius, a Perfect Jinchuriki, huh…
Before Nonou could speak, Misha suddenly rushed up from the side, her eyes full of adoration as she looked at Ren.
"Wow, Big Brother, are you the legendary Hoshimi Ren who can turn into a monster?!"
"…"
Damn it, which bastard dared to spread rumors about a Jinchuriki? Do they have a death wish?
Ren's mouth twitched twice, then he squatted down and said somewhat helplessly.
"Well, Big Brother can transform, but he's not a monster, understand?"
"Not a monster, but can transform…"
Misha's face showed a hint of confusion; she frowned, seemingly pondering the difference between the two.
"Misha, you mustn't be so rude."
Nonou quickly pulled Misha back, then gave Ren an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
Ren waved his hand, then looked at the silver-haired boy standing quietly beside them and nodded.
"And this is?"
Nonou suddenly seemed to snap out of a dream, quickly turned, and brought Kabuto closer, saying softly.
"Kabuto, say hello quickly."
"Yes, Director."
The boy stepped forward, met Ren's gaze, and said a little shyly.
"I am Yakushi Kabuto, please take care of me.
Thank you for saving Misha-nee just now, thank you."
"You're welcome, hello, Kabuto."
Ren patted his head, smiling in response, a knowing look in his eyes.
As expected!
The corresponding name combined with these distinct features confirmed that this was undoubtedly the young Kabuto.
Who would have thought that this shy boy in front of him would one day become one of the masterminds behind the Fourth Great Ninja War, and through his own efforts, without any bloodline or background, would gradually grow stronger, eventually becoming a top-tier expert who controlled everything as a commoner?
In the Ninja World, among the few people Ren admired and liked the most, Kabuto was definitely in the top three.
"Uh, I'm sorry."
Just then, Nonou's voice suddenly sounded, bringing Ren back to his senses.
He subconsciously looked up and saw Nonou looking at him with an apologetic expression.
"It's very late now, and they need to go back and rest."
"Ah, Director."
Hearing this, the two children immediately felt a sense of loss.
Misha grabbed her director's clothes and shook them back and forth, saying somewhat coquettishly.
"Can we walk around a little longer? We haven't been out in a long time."
"I'm sorry, Misha."
Nonou stroked Misha's hair, a troubled expression on her face.
"The Director has to go to work early tomorrow, and it wouldn't be good if I were late by going back too late."
As the director of an orphanage, she was under great pressure, as both the caregivers and daily meals cost money.
Although the Village provided them with monthly subsidies, there were too many mouths to feed and too little porridge.
As the number of children continued to increase, her pressure also gradually grew.
Today, it was only because she had a day off that she had the time to bring these two youngest children out for a stroll and to relax her own mind.
"Alright…"
Disappointment appeared on both their faces, but they also understood how hard their director worked to care for them, so they were sensible enough not to say anything more.
They just turned around and waved goodbye to Ren, who was not far away.
"Goodbye, Big Brother."
"Goodbye."
Ren also smiled and waved back at them.
Nonou stood up, nodded to Ren, and said gently.
"I'm sorry, then we'll head back first."
"Okay."
Watching the three figures disappear into the crowd, Ren's lips curved slightly into a thought-provoking smile.
"Kabuto, huh…"
The next day, after getting dressed, Ren arrived at the Anbu base.
Unlike yesterday, Ren, having demonstrated his strength and completed a mission, had already gained the recognition of everyone in his squad, so the others were happy to interact with him.
After a while, seeing that no notification came, everyone moved to the fourth training ground and began free training.
Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu were seen everywhere.
Ren did not join them but sat alone on a tree branch, opening the forbidden Ninjutsu he had obtained from Hiruzen Sarutobi two days prior, and began to study it.
However, the learning difficulty of these things was considerable, making Ren's eyelids twitch.
It seemed he would have to visit Hiruzen Sarutobi again when he had time to get some cultivation insights.
After the dismissal time, no mission had yet arrived, so they were free to leave.
"Naraku, want to go grab a meal together?"
After changing his clothes in the dormitory, a kind-looking middle-aged man walked up to Ren with a smile.
His name was Kitano, and he was the Monkey-Masked Anbu who had first engaged Ren yesterday, and also the Vice Captain of the squad.
There was no ill will between the two of them to begin with, and since he was a very talkative person, he quickly became familiar with Ren.
"I'm sorry, Big Brother Kitano."
Ren took off his standard long sword and placed it in the locker, looking at him with some apology.
"I have something to do in a bit, so I might have to excuse myself."
"Is that so…"
A hint of regret appeared on Kitano's face, but he still understood and patted Ren's shoulder, laughing.
"Go handle your business.
We'll get together next time."
"Definitely."
After leaving the Anbu base, Ren walked towards the Hokage Building.
Upon entering the hall, he did not stop for a moment, walking straight to the second floor.
Not long after, he came back down.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Ren walked directly into a gift shop, bought a random assortment of items, and then carried them to a house door, pressing the doorbell.
"Ding-dong!"